Heavy fighting continued in a series of clashes at Palaikkuli and Vannakkulam, the military said.

The Tamil rebels said on their Web site that they had killed 15 soldiers in the Mannar region, Gulf Daily News reported. The military acknowledged that one army soldier had died and two others were injured by rebel mortars.

The military has claimed to have killed dozens of Tamil fighters in recent days as it tries to put an end to the long-festering insurrection.